Known processes for synthesizing these .alpha.-hydroxyketones include, for example, oxidation of diols (see J. Organomet. Chem., Vol. 5, p. 263 (1966)), oxidative cleavage of epoxides (see J. Org. Chem., Vol. 26, p. 1681 (1961)), and acyloin condensation (see J. Org. Chem., Vol. 40, p. 393 (1975)) and, in addition, synthesis from olefins using a stoichiometric amount of potassium permanganate.
On the other hand, ruthenium compounds are known to catalyze oxidation reaction of a certain kind of organic compounds as reported in Kacaku, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 426-427, Kagaku Dojin K.K. (1990). In view of the specificity of their catalytic activity, it has been quite unexpected that ruthenium compounds also exert a catalytic action on olefin oxidation for production of .alpha.-hydroxyketones.